What is communication?

Sarah

2/12/2017 7:37 PM

Hi. I want to start with a definition of communication that underlies the topic and this collection.

Why are definitions important? Because they often define HOW we think and impact WHAT we do. Below are three very similar definitions of communication. None are based on a sender-receiver model of communication.

The most relevant one for this "collection" on social networks (Social Networks Inventory) is #3 because it specifically addresses children (adults) with complex communication needs. Have a look and let me know what you think.

1. QUOTE FROM LINGUISTS.

"Human communication is the joint establishment of meaning using a socially distributed ecology of public sign systems.”

Wilkins, D. P., & Higginbotham, D. J. (2005). AAC in action: A new model for understanding AAC performance. Paper presented at the 2005 United States Society for Alternative & Augmentative Communication (USSAAC) Biennial Conference. Los Angeles, California.

Goodwin, C. (2003). The semiotic body in its environment. In J. Coupland & R. Gwyn (Eds.), Discourses of the body (pp. 19 – 42). New York: Palgrave/Macmillan. http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/clic/

2. QUOTE FROM THE JOINT COMMISSION Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care

Effective communication is defined as...the successful joint establishment of meaning wherein patients and health care providers exchange information, enabling patients to participate actively in their care from admission through discharge, and ensuring that the responsibilities of both patients and providers are understood. To be truly effective, communication requires a two-way process (expressive and receptive) in which messages are negotiated until the information is correctly understood by both parties. Successful communication takes place only when providers understand and integrate the information gleaned from patients, and when patients comprehend accurate, timely, complete, and unambiguous messages from providers in a way that enables them to participate responsibly in their care.

[The Joint Commission. (2010). Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: The Joint Commission, 2010.]

3. QUOTE FROM State of the Science Conference in AAC and subsequent publication.

Communication is seen as a dynamic, transactional process that involves at least two people. Components of the communication process include the (a) physical and cognitive characteristics of the interactants (persons who are deaf, blind, have cerebral palsy, aphasia, autism, etc.); (b) propositional content of messages and how they are represented and conveyed (face-to-face, by phone, over the Internet, WiFI, etc.); (c) situations in which messages are transmitted and understood (noisy environment, home, school, at a movie, etc.); (d) social relationships of the interactants (familiar, unfamiliar communication partners, boss, parent, etc.); and (e) specific purposes of each interaction (sharing information, expressing feelings, social closeness, etc.)… Meaning is jointly established or co-constructed, often using a variety of strategies, including the simultaneous use of multiple channels or modes (speech, gestures, manual signs, facial expressions, electronic and nonelectronic technologies, etc.).

[Blackstone SW, Williams MB, Wilkins DP. (2007). Key principles underlying research and practice in AAC. Augmentative and Alternative Communication. 23, 3:191-203.]

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